Top athletes with epilepsy will take part in a world-first panel discussing living with the condition in elite sport ahead of the Commonwealth Games this summer. The event, part of the All In for Glasgow 2026 initiative, will explore what it takes to travel, train and compete at the highest levels of international sport while managing epilepsy.
Commonwealth Games judo silver medallist Stephanie Inglis; World, European and Commonwealth 400m hurdles champion Dai Greene; four-time world-record-holding ultra-cyclist Katie Ford; and elite triathlete Annie Brooks, all of whom have epilepsy, will feature on the panel. Hosted by Epilepsy Scotland, the discussion is said to be the first of its kind to focus specifically on epilepsy in non-para elite competition.
Lesslie Young OBE, chief executive of Epilepsy Scotland, said: “Glasgow 2026’s All In programme gives us a genuinely high-profile opportunity to talk about epilepsy in a way elite sport rarely does. We’re proud to partner with Glasgow 2026 to put lived experience and practical reality at the centre of the conversation, not as an add-on, but as part of what inclusion in sport should mean.”
Epilepsy affects about one in 100 people in Scotland, yet the condition remains widely misunderstood. The panel, hosted by former professional basketball player Kieron Achara, aims to increase understanding of inclusion in elite sport. Triathlete Annie Brooks commented: “As someone living with epilepsy, I know first-hand how invisible and misunderstood the condition can be – especially in sport. Being part of this world-first panel is about showing that epilepsy doesn’t have to hold athletes back.”
The Games will take place in Glasgow from July 23 to August 2, with more than 3,000 athletes from 74 nations competing across 10 sports and six Para sports. The panel, on May 19 at 200 SVS Conference & Events, will launch Epilepsy Scotland’s new national speaker series, Breaking Barriers.
